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Fort Collins, CO

Houndoc

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
Lived there for 4 years in school (left in 1996.) Overall enjoyed it- lots of good people, as was mentioned nice little downtown.

However, has grown a lot and based on last time I was there would not be my choice of place to live now. Lot of traffic congestion and just too busy for my taste (keep in mind Grantsville is almost getting too big for me, however.)
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
I'm glad you mentioned the last part. Census info shows that SL County has over a million residents and Larimer County has just over 300k. That sounds like a pretty awesome sized place to me.

I'd likely end up living in Wellington anyways since that's technically where I'd be working. It's about 15 minutes north of FoCo and is much smaller but growing fast.

It sounds like we're going to head out there next weekend and check it out and see if it's the right fit for us!
 
Hickey

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
Location
Grantsville, Utah
It's about the same distance to Moab from Ft. Collins or Salt Lake. Maybe an hour extra for traffic.

I spend a fair amount of time in that area, mostly driving between Loveland and Colorado Springs. I wouldn't mind living there as long as my commute was really short. I-25 is a disaster. WAY too much traffic for a 2 lane interstate. I drive all over the western US and that section of interstate is the one I hate the most. Image driving from Provo to Ogden during the commute and I-15 is only 2 lanes.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Really? Maps shows it being like 7 hours from Ft Collins.

Is I-25 just as bad on the north side of Denver? If I end up moving there I will probably end up living and working in Wellington so it won't matter much to me but a buddy of mine is planning on living in Cheyenne and commuting to Wellington via I-25. Truck drivers know best so I appreciate the input
 
Houndoc

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
Wellington seems like a much better choice than right in Ft Collins. Traffic heading north on I-25 should not be anywhere near the mess headed to Denver is. Even back when I lived their the drive into Denver could be a nightmare.
 
maveric

maveric

Crawler Collecter
Location
In The Middle Of No-Where
I lived in Windsor for a few years before it got really big (2001) and I liked the area. If I were to move back, I would definately look into the Wellington area. I work 1 weekend a month in Greeley, and drive through Wellington every time. It is a smaller town on the northern outskirts of FoCo. We looked into moving back there in 2008, and houses were cheap and had acreage. Haven't priced them lately, but I heard the housing on the front range is going back up.
I25 from FoCo north to Cheyenne isnt really that bad, but from north FoCo headed south to Denver sucks.
My spotter lives in Loveland, and his trips to Moab average about 7 hours, but he also has a small one, so driving straight though isnt an option.
There are a bunch of wheeling spots within a couple hours of FoCo, ranging from moderate/scenic mountain jeep trails (Red Cone, Wheeler Lake, Kelly Flats, Holy Cross) to difficult (Independence, Trough Road, Rangely, 21 Road).
There are some decent 4x4 shops in the area as well, and Larimer County has a great family oriented 4wd club too (www.mountaineers4x4.org).


Now you got me wanting to move back again.....
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Thanks for the input. Housing in Wellington is decently priced, probably about like the area around me in West Jordan... Pretty similar the more I think about it. There are some options for acreage but the prices go up, A LOT.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Drove out Friday evening and just got back. 14 hours of driving for like 36 hours of hanging out there. It's a pretty cool place for sure, definitely somewhere I can see myself moving to... If I can get around the idea of moving away from family and friends... Ughhhhhhh!

On a positive note we decided to take the truck instead of the car and I pulled back 18 mpg's (hand calc) with an avg speed of 82-85. Very happy with that.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
That's crazy. I heard it has been unseasonably rainy there. It was rainy when we were there.

So after much deliberation we decided it was the right choice for us. I was about to put in my 2 weeks and received word that it wasn't going to work like we planned. In short, promises were made that simply cannot be kept. It sucks and the wife and I are both super disappointed.

Hopefully another opportunity presents itself.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Got a new offer. Doing it.

Gave my work notice today. Would've been there for 10 years come September. Such a crazy idea to just up and go but it feels like the right thing for our family. I am beyond excited!
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
We're very excited for the adventure! I will be driving out next weekend and moving some stuff out there and then flying back for a wedding. Airfare is very cheap to Denver and that makes me excited cause I can tempt friends and family to come out for Rockies and Bronco games. The wife and kid won't be joining me for a while but I plan on coming back a lot, probably weekly.

I'm a little hesitant about embracing CO as a whole as it is a lot more hippie than I'm used to but it's not like SLC is hippie-free either.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Yeah, I think it's more hipsters (college town) than hippies in FoCo. It's a cool place.

Before my wife gets there I am planning on doing a lot of fishing!
 
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